March Debate
My partner and I stand in firm negation of the following resolve. Single-gender classrooms would improve the quality of education in American public schools.
Before we go any further into this debate we must clarify what is meant by “quality of education.” This refers to more than just the material that is taught or the scores submitted to the state. Educational institutions are not simply where children go to learn; it is where they spend nearly half their waking hours. This includes preparing them for college, jobs, social skills, and preparing them for the real world
Contention 1: There are problems with studies conducted on single-gender classrooms
Novotney, Amy a Monitor on Psychology at the American Psychological Association. February 2011
The U.S. Department of Education comparison of same gender and coeducational schools found a dearth of quality studies examining and concluded that the results are mixed and not conclusive enough for the department to endorse single-gender education. The problem, many experts say, is that it’s nearly impossible to compare apples to apples when it comes to single-gender versus coeducation. Most research on single-gender education has been done with private schools, not on single-gemder classes in U.S. public schools. Even if they are public schools often also make academic changes when they switch to a single-gender format, making it hard to attribute gains or falls to any one measure. “The entire literature on single-gender schooling is confounded by the possible presence of student and school selection biases,” says Rebecca S. Bigler, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies gender role development and racial stereotyping. “You can’t conclude a thing about single-gender schooling if you don’t check for and control those two potential biases.” Research on single-gender education is also complicated by the legal requirement that assignment to single-gender classes must be completely
Before we go any further into this debate we must clarify what is meant by “quality of education.” This refers to more than just the material that is taught or the scores submitted to the state. Educational institutions are not simply where children go to learn; it is where they spend nearly half their waking hours. This includes preparing them for college, jobs, social skills, and preparing them for the real world
Contention 1: There are problems with studies conducted on single-gender classrooms
Novotney, Amy a Monitor on Psychology at the American Psychological Association. February 2011
The U.S. Department of Education comparison of same gender and coeducational schools found a dearth of quality studies examining and concluded that the results are mixed and not conclusive enough for the department to endorse single-gender education. The problem, many experts say, is that it’s nearly impossible to compare apples to apples when it comes to single-gender versus coeducation. Most research on single-gender education has been done with private schools, not on single-gemder classes in U.S. public schools. Even if they are public schools often also make academic changes when they switch to a single-gender format, making it hard to attribute gains or falls to any one measure. “The entire literature on single-gender schooling is confounded by the possible presence of student and school selection biases,” says Rebecca S. Bigler, PhD, a psychology professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies gender role development and racial stereotyping. “You can’t conclude a thing about single-gender schooling if you don’t check for and control those two potential biases.” Research on single-gender education is also complicated by the legal requirement that assignment to single-gender classes must be completely